It certainly was a surprise when J K Rowling announced that the Harry Potter series was coming out in e-book form (although that's been delayed into next year). But here's maybe an even bigger surprise:

Yes, Ray Bradbury, who'd had nothing nice to say at all about e-books (they smelled like burned fuel), and who told anyone who wanted to talk to him about e-books to go to ... um, to a place with temperatures well above 451F.

Maybe enough of his fans wrote him to say, "We love you, we love your work, but you are wrong on eBooks. Please reconsider."

Or S&S politely explained the money he was leaving on the table.

Now if they can just get the rest of his biblio released. I want my Martian Chronicles, Ray! I own the paperback, hardcover, and, dammit, I want the eBook! (And I am not a thief, so I won't pirate it.)

Maybe enough of his fans wrote him to say, "We love you, we love your work, but you are wrong on eBooks. Please reconsider."

Or S&S politely explained the money he was leaving on the table.

Now if they can just get the rest of his biblio released. I want my Martian Chronicles, Ray! I own the paperback, hardcover, and, dammit, I want the eBook! (And I am not a thief, so I won't pirate it.)

According to the AP news story, the publishing contract on Fahrenheit 451 was expiring, and nobody would give him a new publishing contract for that title without e-book rights. It was either allow the e-book or let the title go out of print, and he made his choice.

The Martian Chronicles apparently aren't yet in that situation, nor any of Bradbury's other major works. So it might be a while before we see them in e-book form. But sometimes a small crack in a dam...